Sven Olsen

Name: Olsen, Sven Matthew

Gender: Male

Age: Nineteen [19]

Grade: Senior [12th]

School: Aurora High School

Hobbies and Interests: Track and field, exercise, knitting, drinking, guitar

Appearance: At 6’4” and weighing no more than 170lbs, Sven cuts a noticeable figure. He’s quite lean, with a streamlined runner’s build full of taut muscle, with especially defined calf and thigh muscles. Despite his Scandinavian ancestry, Sven’s coloring is dark, with charcoal brown, nearly black hair and a healthy bronzed skin tone that pales only slightly during the colder months. Additionally, he’s a hairy individual, notably on his arms, legs, and chest.

Sven can be considered attractive, possessing handsome, albeit boyish features. His face is ovular in shape and somewhat chubby and constantly sporting stubble, in part due to a laziness to shave daily, as well as the speed at which it grows. Considered his best feature, his eyes are deep brown in color and flocked by long lashes and often make him appear more innocent than he really is with their puppy-like quality. Topping them are a pair of thick, ungroomed brows the same color as his hair, which hang closer to his eyes, rather than further up. Otherwise, he appears quite average, with a pointed nose that has a slightly wide bridge and pert lips that hide a set of marginally crooked, but white teeth. Sven keeps his hair longer, typically around two or two-and-a-half inches long, and rarely styles it, preferring the tousled bed-head look and the minimal upkeep that comes with it. He also sports a pair of short sideburns which reach just below his ears.

While Sven prefers to dress more for ease and comfort, he always makes an effort to look presentable and put together. Usually favoring a sportier look, his outfits are generally made up of a plain shirt or tank top and one of either track pants, basketball shorts, or jeans. Most of his clothing budget is spent on shoes, having amassed a modest collection, typically veering toward brand name running shoes. During the abduction, Sven was wearing a simple white v-neck undershirt, his Aurora Pelican’s dark blue track pants with gray and powder blue accents, and a pair of Nike Free 3.0 running shoes in black. On his right wrist he wore a red digital watch and three tan rubber bands.

Biography: Sven is the only child of Brandy Ford and Matthew Olsen and was conceived only a year into their relationship. Brandy grew up in Seattle and attended the University of Washington with Matthew Olsen, who was originally from Rhode Island. While initially friends, it developed into a relationship following their graduation, with Matthew choosing to remain in Seattle to pursue a job opportunity. Shortly after Sven’s birth, their relationship fell apart and Matthew moved out and offered no resistance toward Brandy having sole custody over Sven. Sven was given Matthew's surname based on his parents' plans to marry; Brandy never sought to change it, possibly out of hope of rekindling with Matthew. Despite this, Matthew has no part in Brandy nor Sven's lives, nor has shown any interest in doing so, not even paying child support. Brandy has chosen not to dispute this or attempt to force him to.

Shortly after Matthew left, Brandy and Sven moved in with Brandy’s mother, Arlene, for both financial and emotional support. Sven grew very attached to his Grandmother, who’d bring him along during errands or visits with her friends, which remain the memories he holds most dear. Arlene was also the first to introduce him to track, often telling him about her late husband, whom was an Olympic runner. Despite knowing of him only from stories, Sven wanted to follow in his footsteps and make Arlene proud and would often race kids during recess only to go home and brag about how well he did. As soon as he was old enough, Sven wasted no time in signing up for track and field, which remains his greatest passion in life.

Growing up, Sven showed extreme distaste for the unknown and change, a possible side-effect of his mother’s over-protectiveness and willingness to bend to his demands, which she considered atonement for being his sole parent. When introduced to something new or forced to do something he didn’t want to, Sven would become incredibly anxious, often to the point of hyperventilating. While initially chalking it to normal childhood stubbornness, Brandy began believing something deeper was happening after he began having issues sleeping. Worried for her son, Brandy took Sven to a child psychologist who diagnosed him as having a child anxiety disorder and suggest giving him anti-anxiety medication, which Brandy rejected in fear of medicating someone so young. Instead, Brandy and Arlene began trying teach him to calm himself down using deep breathing exercises, counting, and—most bizarrely—knitting, as taught by Arlene. Their home remedies proved somewhat helpful, managing to keep Sven calm and occupied and reducing his amount of anxiety attacks. Currently, he still suffers from attacks and employs the same methods, especially knitting, as it reminds him of Arlene.

Sven had his first sip of alcohol at thirteen when he was visiting a friend’s house after the two boys found their way into the unlocked liquor cabinet. Initially only taking small sips, Sven found himself enamored by it, at first relishing how cool and grown up he felt drinking, before eventually enjoying the feeling of being drunk, finding that it helped him feel less anxious. The boys were never caught and hit up the stash well into their teens, until Sven found more creative ways to get his own; such as older friends or using a fake ID in bars. Sven remains reliant on alcohol, feeling as though he needs it in order to relax and function. Because of his pursuits, he’s very well versed in both alcohol and ways to obtain it, making him the man to go to for those interested.

Shortly after he turned eighteen, Arlene died via complications during an otherwise routine knee surgery, leaving Sven distraught and contributing to a spike in worsened panic attacks when he couldn’t cope. It was during this mourning period that Sven met Andi Victorino, who shared a similar tragedy. Their relationship moved quickly and got sexual within the first month, resulting in Andi’s pregnancy. It was during her pregnancy when Sven began distancing himself from her, fearing that having a baby so young would ruin his life and tie him down forever. Brandy, having gone through something akin with Sven’s father, did not support her son’s decision, but resigned herself not to force him into parenthood in hopes that he’d change his mind after he got older, even though it meant not seeing her granddaughter. Despite this, Sven still occasionally sees Andi and Fiona, typically just to satiate Andi and get her off his back. Sven is somewhat awkward with Fiona, never knowing quite how to hold her or what she wants and does his best to keep her at arm’s length, possibly as a defensive mechanism to avoid getting attached.

Scholastically, Sven has to maintain a C average to stay on the track team, which he takes very seriously. In track, he participates in the 400m sprint, 3000m Long Distance Run, and the 100m hurdles, with his favored event being the sprint. He’s very devoted to the sport and spends much of his free time practicing and conditioning himself, which has lead him to becoming very proficient in it. Because of this, he’s received a scholarship for track that he intends to use and hopes to be on the Olympic track team in the future. With regular curriculum, Sven is ambivalent, more so viewing it as a necessary annoyance.

Sven typically hangs out with other athletes like himself, although many of his closer friends are older/in college. He also prefers the company of attractive girls. Sven’s best friend is Paris Ardennes, another senior at Aurora and close friend since middle school. They have a good relationship, with Paris being one of the few people Sven will confide in, considering they are cut from similar cloths in parentage. Paris has recently started teaching Sven to play the guitar after he showed an interest. While he’s not very good yet and lacks much free time to really practice, he hopes to focus more on it once he actually attends college.

On a personal front, Sven is typically an easy going person, with a distaste for dramatics. He still occasionally has panic attacks, but has learned how to calm down over the years, between his methods and his drinking. Although it’s hard to get to that point, Sven does have an explosive temper when triggered, though it’s almost unheard of. Besides that, if he’s feeling a lot of pressure and can’t calm down, he does get snippy, though this is typically reserved for his track meets. Additionally, he’s something of a flirt and has been known to flirt for fun with no interest in pursuing the target. Otherwise, he’s relatively easy to get along with.

Advantages: Sven’s largest advantage lies in his athleticism, possessing great stamina as well as an exceptional running speed. Otherwise, he’s fairly attractive and liable to use that to gain favor.

Disadvantages: Sven has something of an ego and could get himself into trouble by underestimating someone potentially dangerous. He’s accustomed to routine and likes following one diligently, but becomes nervous without one. He’s dependent on alcohol, using it to calm his nerves and make him less tightly wound and can become irritable and panicked otherwise. Although less frequent, Sven still suffers from panic attacks that can make him shut down if not properly taken care of.

Designated Number: Male student No. 057

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Designated Weapon: Scout Tactical Rifle

Conclusion: A sniper rifle for the lady killer. Try not to wobble too much, there's no bars where you're going to take the edge off. - Abby Soto

'The above biography is as written by Mimi. No edits or alterations to the author's original work have been made.'

Evaluations
Handled by: Mimi

Kills: None

Killed By: Iselle Ovalle-Vandermeer

Collected Weapons: Scout Tactical Rifle (designated weapon)

Allies: Paris Ardennes

Enemies:

Mid-game Evaluation: Sven awoke in a picnic area near the apartment complexes with his friend Paris Ardennes. He began to hyperventilate and Paris attempted to calm him. After recovering, Sven examined the gun he had been given. Not long after, he and Paris heard the sounds of Iselle Ovalle-Vandermeer approaching through the bushes, and Paris went to investigate.

Iselle, thinking that Paris was trying to attack her, struck him in the stomach with her walking stick and knocked him down. Sven tried to shoot her, but the safety of the rifle was on, and Iselle swung the stick at his head, cracking Sven's skull and killing him almost instantly.

Post-Game Evaluation: Lots of wasted potential with this one. These teen parents never seem to make it far, do they? - Penny Sullivan

Memorable Quotes:

Other/Trivia

 * Sven was the first character rolled in V5.
 * Modeled in appearance after actor Josh Bowman.
 * Sven was initially supposed to be manipulated into playing the game by his friend Paris Ardennes, with a cat being their first kill to test the waters, an idea which was then transferred over to his girlfriend Andi Victorino.
 * Sven's theme song was 'Carrying' by Jukebox the Ghost.

Threads
Below is a list of threads that contain Sven, in chronological order.

The Past:


 * Little Princes

V5:
 * The Doll's House

Your Thoughts
''Whether you were a fellow handler in SOTF or just an avid reader of the site, we'd like to know what you thought about Sven Olsen. What did you like, or dislike, about the character? Let us know here!''
 * I was initially dissapointed to see Sven go before he could settle things with Andi, but I think letting him die early and avoid the handlercest was probably better. We'll be able to see more from Andi's POV after the first announcement. Anyway, Sven had a unique voice, I really think it showed that he was struggling with accepting his manhood. His insecurites are discreet, but noticable, as is his reluctance to make big decisions. I'd have more to say if I'd had more to read, but an early out can be talked about in so much depth. Also, thank God somebody finally woke up next to a friend on the island. - Nuggets


 * Sven was a disappointment to me, too. I think Mimi is a highly qualified writer, and to see her kid go out with such little under their belt is a real shame. I would've loved to see Sven make it a lot farther, and it's for that reason that I hated Sven's death. It wasn't flowing to me, because there was no leadup besides, "Iselle came from the bushes and hit him with a stick". It was a real waste of potential to me, and I wish Sven had made it a lot farther than he did. - Espional
 * To respond to the criticisms: Sven's death was a testament to the unexpected nature of the game, as well as a tongue in cheek reference to the fact that so many characters don't get to finish their stories before dying. Not every kid gets the luxury of begging for their lives before another student takes it into their own hands to off them and that's what I was trying to accomplish. Sven's death was quick and suprising, with him dying minutes after waking up to the friend of someone who's very close to him., which will likely result in some interesting encounters down the line. That said, I'm proud that I didn't overblow his death and allowed him to die with very little drama; he didn't beg for his life, because he didn't have a chance due to the nature of SOTF and his death c:. - Mimi
 * For what it's worth, I actually really liked what was being gone for with Sven's death. Too often, death in SOTF is incredibly drawn out and melodramatic; you don't see too many kids who just get snuffed out like that, and I've always appreciated the impact these abrupt deaths have. Death is an ugly, messy, scary thing, not flowery and impressive, and a scene that treats it as such is always nice to see. These kids are having their lives cut short just as they're really beginning, and this lack of overblown dramatics helps the narrative, rather than hurting it. - Slayer